A simple, configurable, and dynamic web server built with C++. This server is capable of serving static HTML files, executing PHP scripts, and can be easily configured via a server.conf file.
- Static File Serving: Serve HTML files directly from a specified directory.
- PHP Script Execution: Execute PHP files and return the generated output.
- Configurable Settings: Easily change server settings like port, IP address, file preferences, and more via
server.conf. - Logging: Logs server activity to a
.logfile for easy monitoring. - Automatic Index File Loading: Automatically load index files (e.g.,
index.htmlorindex.php) based on the configuration. - Custom 404 Error Page: Serve a custom 404 page if the requested resource is not found.
Here are the features and services I will implement next to make my server more powerful and closer to production-level quality.
Description: I will secure the server by adding support for SSL/TLS to handle HTTPS requests.
- Benefit: This will protect data in transit between the server and clients.
- How: I will implement SSL/TLS using libraries like OpenSSL.
Description: I will allow the server to handle multiple requests simultaneously by introducing concurrency.
- Benefit: This will improve performance and scalability.
- How: I will use a thread pool to manage multiple connections.
Description: I will enable the server to host multiple domains on the same IP address.
- Benefit: This will be essential for shared hosting environments.
- How: I will support multiple virtual hosts, each with its own configuration.
Description: I will introduce a dynamic URL routing system to handle RESTful APIs and custom URL patterns.
- Benefit: This will support dynamic content and API development.
- How: I will map URLs to specific handler functions or files.
Description: I will enhance server diagnostics by logging requests, errors, and performance metrics.
- Benefit: This will improve troubleshooting and monitoring.
- How: I will implement access logs, error logs, and integrate with monitoring tools like Prometheus.
Description: I will add support for connecting to and interacting with databases like MySQL or SQLite.
- Benefit: This will enable dynamic content management and persistent data storage.
- How: I will provide basic CRUD operations with database connectivity.
Description: I will extend the server's capabilities by supporting additional scripting languages.
- Benefit: This will offer flexibility by allowing the execution of scripts written in languages like Python or Ruby.
- How: I will expand the CGI handler to support multiple scripting languages.
Description: I will implement session handling and cookie management.
- Benefit: This will support user sessions, logins, and personalized content.
- How: I will store session data on the server or use cookies for session management.
Description: I will protect the server and clients from common web vulnerabilities.
- Benefit: This will enhance server security and user safety.
- How: I will add features like rate limiting, IP blocking, input sanitization, and CSRF/XSS protection.
Description: I will allow configuration changes to take effect without restarting the server.
- Benefit: This will improve uptime and flexibility in server management.
- How: I will implement a signal handler to reload configurations on receiving a specific signal (e.g., SIGHUP).
Description: I will provide custom error pages for HTTP errors like 404 and 500.
- Benefit: This will improve user experience with informative error messages.
- How: I will allow the configuration to specify custom HTML files for various error codes.
Description: I will compress content before sending it to clients to reduce response size.
- Benefit: This will speed up load times and reduce bandwidth usage.
- How: I will implement Gzip compression for text-based content like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
Description: I will distribute incoming traffic across multiple server instances.
- Benefit: This will improve performance and reliability under heavy load.
- How: I will implement a basic load balancer to distribute traffic.
Description: I will cache frequently requested files or results to improve performance.
- Benefit: This will reduce server load and speed up response times.
- How: I will implement an in-memory cache or use a caching proxy.
Description: I will enable real-time communication between the server and clients.
- Benefit: This will be useful for applications requiring real-time updates like chat systems.
- How: I will implement WebSocket protocol handling for maintaining real-time connections.
By adding these features, I will significantly enhance the capabilities of my C++ web server, making it more robust, secure, and versatile.